


Coffin Kisses (It's My Soul that Misses Yours)

by Ian_the_Existential_Crisis



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Blood Drinking, Character Study, Crypto's blue eyes have me like hhhhhhh, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Found Family, Past Character Death, Path is a good boy, Titan fall lore, Vampire Crypto, Wattson Created Pathfinder in this, Witch Wattson, Yes he will find out, finding each other, how does one tag?, i mean i dont expect people to read this, idk i mostly wrote this at 3 am, ill tag stuff correctly later, lots of lore, the pathfinder amd crypto moments are real fluffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:21:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25159897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ian_the_Existential_Crisis/pseuds/Ian_the_Existential_Crisis
Summary: Her last life, she had shimmering black hair and the most beautiful tiny eyes. This life her hair reminded him of the place in Troy where they met as they laughed in they wheat fields during a hot summer afternoon with eyes bluer than the sky. Her next life, he could already see it, her blue eyes would remain the same, but her bold pink hair would draw him in.Or Vampire Taejoon keeps finding Natalie no matter where or when she is reincarnated.
Relationships: Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Wattson | Natalie Paquette, Pathfinder &Crypto | Tae Joon Park, Pathfinder &Wattson | Natalie Paquette
Comments: 8
Kudos: 33





	1. Home is Where...

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with another SparksFly stories. Yes, this was written for a special someone. And yes, I also love comments.

_ There was something about the breeze that caught her attention. It had a sweet smell to it as it brushed past her. She didn't even think about it as she pulled her grey cloak tighter around her. Why would the night air smell so sweet? Where was this smell coming from?  _

_ Those were questions she probably should have been asking in the back of her mind. But she didn't. She simply flicked her black hair back, making tracks as she went about her night.  _

_ Why was she out at night? That was easy. Less people. Her head was so full of thoughts, magic, and inventions that having others around her was just an inconvenience. She couldn't keep her ideas inside if she constantly had someone drawing her attention away.  _

_ Natalie sucked in a deep breath of the cool night air. It was cold. She suspected that any moment a flurry of white would descend from the sky and overtake the small clearing in a blanket of frosted flakes. But the forest thicket was just beyond the clearing. That was her true goal and no amount of snow could stop her.  _

_ The forest was peaceful. She could mix her magic with machines in the heart of the forest where nobody would ever find her. She was free to experiment and play with her creations.  _

_ She could hear the others of her village, not so far away from the thicket, mocking her. Magic and machines didn't belong together. They opposed each other, constantly fighting for control.  _

_ But why did it have to be like that? She had an able mind for the machinery that was forbidden in her land. People she couldn't understand, words never clicked in her mind. But mech she knew. The machines never lied to her. They never insulted her; they never told her what she could and couldn't do.  _

_ And her magic only improved her ability to make such things. Her way with electricity was beyond even her parents understanding. They had both dabbled in magic, neither being too adept or amazing. At least that was what she was told. Her mother died shortly after birth and her father vanished years ago. _

_ The grass under her soft sole shoes crunched as it hardened in the night air. She reached out with her pale hand, grabbing the bark of the tree as she stumbled on the aerial roots.  _

_ Her skin prickled as she pulled away from the thick trunk. If only the residents of her village understood that machines were nothing to be afraid of, maybe then she wouldn't be an outcast. She wouldn't have to slip out of her foster father's home in the dead of night to be herself in the dark and dank woods.  _

_ "If I were a normal mage I wouldn't be out here." She whispered to herself. There was nobody there to talk to. There was no reason to voice her deepest wants allowed. But still, saying them, putting them out there into the world that didn't understand her helped.  _

_ Did she want to be normal? Was that really her deepest darkest secret? Her magic had never failed her like people did. Her machines never left her behind like humans did. Yet, even though she didn't understand them, she craved another person to understand her. To finally reach out to her, but not stop her.  _

_ If someone like that didn't already exist in her world, she would just have to make them.  _

_ Roots and shrubs overtook the land beyond the clearing. The dense trees and heavy air often kept people away. But tonight that air smelled of honied tea and sweet sugar cookies. _

_ One of the nearby shrubs rustled with movement, startling her. Natalie turned, short black hair falling back into her ruby eyes, to glance behind her. Was she followed? Nobody should be awake at this hour.  _

_ "Hello? Is anyone there?"  _

_ "Hello friend." A robotic voice called out into the night air. _

_ "Oh goddess." Natalie jumped, her wool cloak flying open as she clutched her chest. Her wide eyes softened as she stared after the voice. "Marvin, you scared me senseless. How many times have I told you to say something?" _

_ "I'm sorry friend. I already greeted one friend tonight. I didn't know I had to greet you too." The robot said, stand up, towering over her.  _

_ "Oh, baby." She said, a tight smile graced her panicked features. Marvin was her child. She created him with a mixture of her magic and modern technology. In many ways, he was just as much an abomination as she was. "You made a new friend? Where are they? Is it another bunny?" _

_ "No, no. I took my new friend home because he fell in the woods. He wasn't moving at all and I was coming to find you." _

_ "Oh? You took him to the cabin?" The small red bricked cabin was her safe place. A place no other human was allowed, or at least should never be allowed. She created Marvin there, she created many things there that would have her executed because of her vivid mind and morbid curiosity. It was their home, her workshop. It wasn't like she didn't live in the village, she did. But that place would never be home to her. Home was where Marvin treated her happily, telling her about the bunnies and squirrels he followed and befriended in the brush, home was where she didn't have to be afraid to be herself. She was creating the future, it was just nobody could see it yet. Home, right now, was where Marvin had taken a stranger that she couldn't trust. "Is he okay?" _

_ "He is breathing." The tall robot informed her.  _

_ "Well, take me to him." She frowned,closing her red cloak in on herself again. Had he really found an unconscious person in the woods? _

_ She let Marvin lead her to the cabin. He loved showing her through the twists and turns of the underbrush. She knew the way by heart, but she swore that each time she let him lead the way home he was one step closer to becoming human. He felt more human than the people of the village.  _

_ ¤¤¤ _

_ His blue eyes were wide open and staring at her as she entered her second home.  _

_ Her cabin wasn't huge. There were two bedrooms, one for her when she stayed so late in the night that Marvin would find her asleep at her desk, and Marvin had his own room, though he didn't need to sleep, he was still her only child and she spoiled him. The living room and kitchen were only separated by the bar-like counter and her desk was crammed into a corner of the living room far from the couch and fireplace. _

_ "Oh?" Natalie accidently let out a small gasp seeing him. He was pale, deathly so. No wonder Marvin had brought him home. He was barely sitting up-right on the couch. "Are you okay?"  _

_ She wanted to be gentle with the stranger. He already wasn't supposed to be here, he wasn't supposed to know about Marvin, and he definitely wasn't meant to see her here, as he could easily expose her to the village for practicing the taboo. Yet, she hadn't seen him before, he wasn't from around these parts. The slant of his blue eyes reminded her of the clans to the south, but the blue of his eyes made her think of the bigger cities building in the east. Still, she knew she had to be weary of him just like everyone else.  _

_ He blinked at her for a long moment, as if he hadn't realized she had come in. His blue eyes glazed over, chest rattling with each breath.  _

_ "I'm fine…" His voice was barely a whisper, but the confusion rang clear. "I am… where am I?" _

_ Natalie lost her words before they could roll off her tongue. Looking at this person, really looking at him, she wondered how long it had been since he had seen the inside of a house. He couldn't be much older than her, probably just barely hitting the age where he could start calling himself a man, but he looked so tired. There were dark bags under his eyes making the blue stand out brighter and his hair, which was mostly black, was ruffled and wild. She wouldn't even doubt it if Marvin claimed to pick twigs out of his hair on their journey to the cabin. And his paling skin was littered with traces of dirt and scratches from the ticket.  _

_ He looked like an abandoned puppy. _

_ "You are home, friend." The robot chimed.  _

_ "Marvin." Natalie sighed pitching the bridge of her nose as if he had just given her the worst headache.  _

_ The stunning blue eyes roamed around the cabin for a second before returning to her, or at least she thought the man on her couch was looking at her, he could easily be looking at her wonderful Marvin. If he was looking at the robot, he didn't say anything.  _

_ "Is this Demeter?" He asked. _

_ Natalie blinked. She had no idea what he was referring to. "No? What is Demeter?" _

_ "If you don't know, then I'm not there anymore." He responded coolly. The sharpness in his tone fell when he asked his previous question again. "Where am I?" _

_ "You're on the outskirts of the forest." She answered vaguely, stopping Marvin from speaking by placing a frozen hand on his cool metal shoulder. _

_ "What is the name of your planet?" _

_ "Troy."  _

_ The hard and serious look on his pale face gave way to shock. His eyes, yet again, traced the room. It looked at if he were trying to commit everything about this place to memory.  _

_ "It's so beautiful here." He said at last.  _

_ "You're from somewhere else?" She questioned.  _

_ Ever since the ancestors who crashed here settled, they had no contact with the other worlds. Space travel was long forgotten as the ways of magic arose. They were back, far from the other members of the Yuma system, forgotten with time. Natalie often thought that maybe that was why she was such an outcast for learning the ways of machinery. The other people seemed content with pretending there was nothing more.  _

_ This stranger though, he was from the outside. Maybe when he left, he could take her with him.  _

_ She didn't wait for his answer. "Where is your ship? Can it still fly?" _

_ His blue eyes widened at her. "I don't remember." _

_ Natalie sighed, letting her hand drop from the robot. She gave him a quick nod to let him know it was okay to move about freely, as she wasn't worried about this stranger anymore. As much as she wanted to leave this place that hated her and her inventions behind, it really couldn't be helped. She couldn't force him to help her.  _

_ Her eyes finally glanced down at the coffee table. A tiny red mug, which she kept at the cabin for when she worked late into the night, was filled with tea and practically untouched.  _

_ She tried to keep the mortified look from showing on her face. That's right, he had been a guest here. Someone Marvin found in the woods unconscious. Her passion had diluted her sense of responsibility that she had originally come here with.  _

_ "Is there anything I can get for you?" She asked softly, watching his features harden once again.  _

_ "I'm alright." He said. _

_ "Are you sure?" She pulled on her black bangs. "My Marvin told me you weren't exactly awake when he found you." _

_ "The robot found me?"  _

_ "His name is Marvin." She shot back. Perhaps her tone was harsher than it needed to be but Marvin was her son. She created him, she named him, he was her everything.  _

_ "I believe I fell. I haven't been to a planet with so much greenery in years. It's a wonder that people can live out here."  _

_ "People do not live out here. I live out here. This is my home." _

_ "For all I know you could be a robot too." He eyed her. She shifted under his gaze. _

_ "I can tell you I'm not. But I suppose you would have no reason to believe me." _

_ "Strangers are hard to trust. Even the ones who offer to help you when you aren't your best can not be fully trusted." _

_ "I see your point. However, why would you still be here if you couldn't trust me? I could easily have killed you by now if I really wanted to."  _

_ "You weren't here while I was… asleep." His voice thickened at the word, like he didn't want to admit the weakness of being knocked out and brought home by a stranger. "Marvin brought me here. He isn't a stranger, I know his name." _

_ "If knowing my name was all I took, you could have just asked. My name is Natalie." _

_ "Taejoon." He said almost immediately. His blue eyes meeting her own.  _

_ _-_ _

Taejoon woke to the sound of Hack. Well to be more precise, the sound of Hack scanning someone in the hall outside of his room. He didn't trust people, so Hack always guarded him while he slept. It had become a habit since Milla vanished. 

He promised himself that after the witch of Troy he would no longer get close to humans. Their lives were far too short, and he always felt the impact of their deaths more than he thought he should. But he had hoped Milla would be different. 

She wasn't. A small piece of him hoped, desperately clinging to the fact he never saw a body or smelled her blood, that she was still among the living. It wasn't impossible. 

"Kid." He heard that cheerful voice from beyond his door. One human he could do without. "Hurry up, we have the games in an hour."

Tae groaned, rolling off this bed. This was the first time he had slept, like really slept, in probably a month. His mouth was bone dry and eyes heavy. The last thing he wanted to do was wake up, he felt like he could sleep for another hundred years and everything would be the same. 

But he rolled off his somewhat comfy bed anyways. "Shut up, idiot. In coming."

This place wasn't the worst he had been in, but it definitely wasn't the best. The beds were better than laying in the ground. And here he had his own space to hide all his secrets. And even if he slipped up on something small, everyone here was weird too, so they easily let something small pass. 

It wasn't the worst by far.

But this place could never replace the little cabin in the woods he had come to know as home. His heart would forever be there along with her remains. 

Much like with what happened to Milla, he could easily blame her death on himself. Natalie didn't deserve what happened to her. She was loving and loyal, and he followed her soul to the ends of the universe to have another chance.

He groaned again, grabbing his contact case. His eyes were still an eerie blue. He had always hated the way they looked. The moment he left Troy, he started to hide them. There was no reason to announce he was different from others. 

"It's just another day, Taejoon." 


	2. I Find Myself Dreaming of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first, I know it's been a while and I'm sorry. My self indulged fic Control took over my life and kinda got me shunned in the process so I've been a little too sad to make something fluffy 
> 
> Second, I know it's short but it's here. 
> 
> Third, uh... This is going to be more than three chapters. I'm going to make this into a bigger fic with longer chapters starting hopefully next chapter. (Reviews inspire me so... I'm willing to put control aside for reviews)
> 
> Lastly, no wait. That's it. Enjoy this short little chapter.

"Hey Path." Taejoon turned back to him once Elliott's banner was in hand. The idiot had not only gotten himself blown up, but ran ahead of them, almost ensuring that he would get finished. 

"Hello Crypto." Pathfinder said, confused. The white question mark popped up on his screen as he towered over the deathbox of their fallen teammate. 

"Run Marvin memory bank diagnostics for me." He said, not looking at the robot. They were near a respawn beacon, but knowing his luck, the moment Taejoon went to bring the trickster back he would be ambushed. And the best time to do the diagnostics check was when nobody would question it. But to him, it would be worth throwing the game to get the system information he needed.

"Now?" Pathfinder asked. 

"Mmmhmm. I'll bring Elliott back while you do it."

"Sure thing, Friend!" 

Crypto didn't look back at him. If anything he felt somewhat guilty for the robot's corroded memory. He should have looked after him upon leaving Troy. He should have just kept Marvin by his side, but he didn't. He let him wander the dangerous universe alone for, how long had it been? Years? Decades? Maybe close to a century? 

"I'm going to get this idiot and keep the camera on me. Do you need Hack's help?" Taejoon asked when Pathfinder didn't make a sound. His eyes flitted back to the robot. 

"I'm sorry friend. I was just thinking about the last time we ran diagnostics. How the memory banks have corrupted more."

"Are you worried?" Crypto asked. "You know I'll fix it." 

"Of course. I trust you." Marvin still hesitated. "But how can you stop what is already damaged?" 

"If I have to, I'll make you a new memory chip. I just need access to the corrupted files from before I was with you on Troy." He explained calmly. "I have to go. Elliott may not be able to hear our audio, but he'll be wondering why we are just standing around."

"No problem friend!" Pathfinder called out in that overjoyed tone.

"You have Hack watching you. You'll be fine." He placed his hands in his pockets and jumped off the small sandy slope. 

"Don't forget to unite the audio for Elliott!" Pathfinder called as loud as he could and waved at him until he was out of sight. 

In truth, he switched the audio for Elliott back on once he was out of range to see Pathfinder. Octane's Gauntlet wasn't far, and he wasn't really worried about going it alone. And Pathfinder was more than capable of handling himself or getting out of a situation. In fact, he was more likely to survive than Crypto was.

"Come on idiot, back in the game."

Mirage, of course smirked as he jumped down from the dropship. He did a small twirl as if he were saying 'yeah I'm back.' "Did you miss me? Of course you did."

"Please just grab a weapon." Crypto insisted, pointing out the nearest gun. It happened to be a wingman, which was Elliott's favorite. The older male scooped it up without a second thought, probably anxious over the fact people always appeared whenever he was brought back. But this was the same guy who could take two steps and get surrounded by seven people.

"My favorite. Awww, Crypie I knew you secretly loved me." Mirage cooed at him. 

"No, don't even indulge yourself in those kinds of thoughts." He dismissed the trickster's usual banter. 

It took only a few moments to find ammo and a body shield before Mirage realized it. Honestly, Crypto was surprised he didn't realize upon respawning. "Where is Path?"

Crypto looked back towards Airbase. Hack hadn't picked up anyone near where he left Marvin. Hack hadn't been destroyed, so he hadn't worried. 

"Maybe he's looting your box?" Crypto shrugged, lying. He knew that would get to Mirage though. To have all of his stuff taken before he could get back to it was a small pet peeve of his. It's not like Crypto intentionally did it- the first time at least- it just kinda happened. 

He didn't have an "okay" from Pathfinder that the system check was done. Waiting was his best option. But he wasn't sure how long Mirage would be willing to loot in an already looted, poorly looted at least, area while Pathfinder was out there doing something he didn't know about. 

"Should we check on him?" Mirage asked. 

For someone who claimed to hate Pathfinder, and said that they weren't friends, he sure did care about him. It was one of the many things that drove Crypto nuts. 

"I left my drone with him. If he gets attacked I'll know. But if you are that worried-"

"Worried? Me? Pfft! No way. Not about him. Why would I?" 

Crypto rolled his eyes. He had to suppress the urge to tell the younger man he was an idiot. There would be plenty of time for that later. 

"Spotted someone out there. They look small." Mirage said after a second. 

Could this guy not even look for a secondary gun without finding an enemy squad to attack him? For someone who used decoys, how was he so freaking noticeable. 

Taejoon thought himself pretty good at the games. Handling a squad was nothing for him on a good day, but when he looked where Elliott had spotted people he could see her. Wattson. Her fences were placed strategically around the rocks. 

Crypto sighed. He pulled Mirage back by the shoulder. "We're running."

"Come on. We could totally take them. It's just Caustic and Wattson." He whined. 

"You can die, again, if you want. I'm going back to Pathfinder." He made sure to put extra emphasis on the 'again'. 

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

Taejoon felt himself look back at her. He knew she could see him. The barrel of her tripletake was barely sticking out past the rock. 

Her hesitation to shoot him, even though he was just walking away, made him wonder if a small piece of her still remembered him. He doubted it. Wattson was a smart woman. She didn't take shots she couldn't hit. 

His Natalie had died on that stupid planet before be could show her the universe. This may be her, but it also wasn't her. 

\----

_ Natalie, she wouldn't say she enjoyed it because that would sound really creepy, watching the stranger on her couch. It had been maybe a week since Marvin brought him home and he barely did anything. Even the small basic things. He didn't eat to build his strength, though he looked so weak he could collapse just from standing. Sometimes she thought he wasn't even breathing. He didn't ask to leave, or question her more about the forest or who she was. He so rarely talked to her that she could faintly remember his voice.  _

_ "Marvin." She called quietly. She was a little earlier than normal, the sun had just barely set, but she really just couldn't wait to be home. She only cracked the door open before her baby came lumbering out at her.  _

_ "Yes, friend?" He asked, chipper as always. Maybe it was the mix of magic with technology, but he actually seemed to feel emotions. And his favorite emotion to portray would have to be happy. Natalie rarely saw him down or upset.  _

_ "How is our guest?" _

_ "Still asleep. He should be waking up soon though." _

_ "Does he usually wake up right before I wake up?" She frowned, peeking back in through the door. He looked almost peaceful in his sleep.  _

_ "Almost always." Marvin answered honestly. _

_ "Maybe I should make sure he's actually okay tonight. I haven't really been keeping up with him."  _

_ "He always says he's fine when I ask." Marvin tilted his mechanical head.  _

_ Natalie smiled at his thoughtfulness. But he couldn't read body language very well. He wouldn't know if this stranger was lying. He was still a stranger after all.  _

_ "I'll check on him once he wakes up." She said again, more like she was reassuring herself.  _

  
  


_ Natalie paused. Her eyes flitted past Marvin, past the barely open door, to the figure sleeping peacefully on her couch.  _

_ She couldn't help but worry about him. If only he would open up to her. If he could just let her in for a moment then maybe she could help him. He was from beyond her own planet. He was everything she dreamed of. But he was cold, but she knew that feeling well.  _

_ She, too, had been hurt in the past.  _

_ But when he was ready, when he wanted to let her in, she would be there for her. She would make sure he knew that she would be there for him. _

_ Marvin eventually calmed down, leaving her in the cabin alone, to go play with his outside friends. Maybe he could meet a bunny since it wasn't too dark out yet.  _

_ "You are all of my wishes, my dreams, my destiny." Natalie looked at him. "When will you let me be yours?" _


End file.
